Wipha
leaves another typhoon heading towards the same path as Wipha. Right
now, Guam is getting the brunt of Tropical Depression Francisco which
is an extremely rare event there.
Update from Japan
As of 14:00 (NZT) (01:00 GMT) Robert Jefferson reports from Tokyo:
"It's
a quiet, peaceful, cloudy late morning now. Fukushima seems to be
holding up; we'll see for sure in a few hours. It's warmed up a bit,
too."
Typhoon
Wipha Moves Up Japan’s Eastern Coast, Kills 8 People
Typhoon
Wipha passed through Japan’s east coast today, killing at least
eight and leaving 37 missing in heavy rainfall and landslides.
Hundreds of flights and trains were canceled, delaying millions of
commuters in rush hour.
15
October, 2013
The
eight deaths were confirmed mainly on Oshima Island, 100 kilometers
(62 miles) south of Tokyo, and 37 people are missing, Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo today. As many as 13
may have died on Oshima Island, the Kyodo news agency later reported.
Wipha,
moving northeast at 70 kilometers per hour, with maximum gusts of 180
kilometers per hour, was centered 120 kilometers off Japan’s
eastern coast as of 9 a.m., according to the Japan Meteorological
Agency’s website.
“People
should still be careful as there are strong winds and high waves will
persist as the typhoon travels north,” Japanese Meteorological
Agency official Hiroyuki Uchida said by phone. “This is the largest
typhoon to approach the Kanto area in about 10 years.”
Wipha
is expected to pass by the coast of Fukushima prefecture, site of the
damaged Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, by 3 p.m., according to the agency.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501), the plant’s operator, discharged
20 tons of accumulated rainwater as a precaution from an area where
tanks used to hold water for cooling nuclear fuel are stored,
spokesman Yusuke Kunikage said.
Power
Cut
“We
have yet to know how much rainwater will eventually be released” as
the typhoon has yet to pass, Kunikage said.
Power
was cut to 65,700 customers in the Kanto region, Tokyo Electric said.
The utility, also known as Tepco, serves 29 million people in the
Tokyo metropolitan area, the world’s largest. About 15,550 homes in
central Japan lost power this morning, Chubu Electric Power Co.
(9502) said.
The
Tokyo Stock Exchange started trading as scheduled at 9 a.m.,
spokesman Naoya Takahashi said by telephone. The Topix index fell 0.2
percent to 1,194.64 in the morning session.
Schools
in the Tokyo central districts of Shinagawa, Shibuya and Minato were
shut.
ANA
Holdings Inc. canceled 207 domestic flights and four international
flights, affecting about 32,500 people, the Tokyo-based company said
in a faxed statement. Japan Airlines (9201) Co. pulled 193 flights,
affecting about 29,080 people, it said.
East
Japan Railway Co. (9020), the country’s largest train operator,
canceled or reduced services on dozens of lines today, including
bullet train operations, according to the company.
Trains
Disrupted
Trains
were disrupted on some Tokyu Corp. (9005) lines and alternative
transport was arranged, the rail operator said on its website. Tokyo
Metro Co., Japan’s largest subway operator, said services on seven
lines were affected by the typhoon, according to its website.
Several
Japanese oil refining companies halted marine shipments yesterday as
the typhoon approached. The plants where marine shipments were
suspended were Idemitsu Kosan Co. (5019)’s Chiba and Aichi
refineries, Cosmo Oil Co. (5007)’s Chiba refinery and JX Holdings
Inc. (5020)’s Negishi, Sendai and Kashima refineries.
Prior
to the typhoon’s arrival, Tepco bundled up cables and hoses,
lowered cranes to keep heavy machinery from falling, and suspended
ground and offshore construction work, Kunikage said yesterday.
To
prepare for Wipha, about 60 workers at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant
were placed on standby to transfer water accumulating inside barriers
that surround water tanks.
As
rain began to lash the area, Tepco began releasing rainwater
accumulated in some barriers, the company said in a series of
statements today.
Earlier
this month Typhoon Danas, which recorded gusts of 180 km per hour,
tore through southern Japan, wrecking a town hall and forcing
refinery operations to stop. Flights and ferry services were
suspended.
Deadly
Impacts of Typhoon Wipha & Francisco Forecast
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